‘Superman’ Review: James Gunn Helps the Man of Steel Reclaim His Humanity

If you’re anything like me, you’re so very tired of superhero movies. I more or less jumped off the Marvel train when the credits rolled on Avengers: Endgame, and the thought of writer and director James Gunn’s Superman setting in motion yet another superhero universe that’ll clog up our multiplexes and consume a huge percentage of the world’s finite filmmaking resources is an exhausting proposition. 

As such, Superman had the odds stacked against it when it came to winning me over. And yet, win me over it did. While the movie is overstuffed with too many characters, and it takes unnecessary narrative detours, the charm and chemistry of its cast and Gunn’s willingness to bring us a Superman who isn’t burdened by a fashionable sense of angst ensure this is the kind of feel-good affair we sorely need right now.

An Immigrant Story

While the plot is too convoluted to lay out in detail (and I’m not looking to spoil it for anyone), the long and the short of it is that Superman (David Corenswet) has found himself in hot water after intervening in a burgeoning conflict between two nations. Despite having prevented (or rather delayed) a war, his actions have given diabolical billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) the justification he’s long sought to arrest the Kryptonian he views as an illegal immigrant and take him out of the picture. 

As you might have guessed, there are parallels between the plot points of the film and contemporary headlines of our own world that you’d have to be blind to miss. Some have already baulked at this, unaware that any eyeroll-worthy attempts to disparage Superman as “going woke” merely show a fundamental misunderstanding of who the character has always been. That aside, despite the film having a clear point of view on many of these issues, Gunn’s script is suitably nimble and his cast suitably talented to avoid becoming too weighed down by such issues. 

The New Man of Steel

Much of the film’s success rests of the shoulders of David Corenswet in whom we have an absolutely fantastic Clark Kent and Superman. I know Christopher Reeve is viewed as untouchable when it comes to embodying this most iconic of superheroes, but as strong as his performance in the role of Superman remains, he’s also very much a product of the late ‘70s. Similarly, there’s a fandom out there that will scream until they’re blue in the face that Henry Cavill was the perfect Man of Steel. If you prefer your Superman to come with a layer of anger simmering just below the surface, almost like he resents the fact that he might actually have to save someone, then perhaps you’re right — to be clear, this issue was more due to the material Cavill had to work with, rather than the fault of the actor himself.

By comparison, Corenswet embodes the sunny optimism that has been inherent to Superman since the very beginning but was lost when Zack Snyder tried to update the character for Man of Steel and the terrible films that followed. As both Superman and Clark Kent, he has a relaxed charm that feels contemporary, but maintains some of the aw-shucks innocence of the character’s 1930s origins. Aligned with this approach is the fact that this time around Superman saves people. A lot of people. He even saves a squirrel. And he does it all with a smile on his face, a word of reassurance, or a quip that sets the citizens of Metropolis at ease.

Dynamic Duos

Just as importantly, any scene in which Corenswet is paired with Rachel Brosnahan’s fantastic Lois Lane is absolutely electric. Brosnahan is by far my favourite on-screen incarnation of the Daily Planet’s lead reporter, and the dynamic she shares with Corenswet is one of the film’s highlights. Unfortunately, due to the number of characters Gunn has to squeeze into the film’s two hours and nine minutes, their shared screentime is limited. 

A similarly strong pairing can be found when Corenswet squares off against Nicholas Hoult’s take on Superman’s arch enemy. The character of Lex Luthor hits differently when we have to contend with the whims of billionaire man babies on an almost daily basis. Hoult is clearly aware of this and channels the likes of Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, and their ilk through his highly detestable antagonist.

An Overstuffed Ensemble

The film also features a host of other notable performances, including Skyler Gisondo’s excellent Jimmy Olsen, Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific, a bowl-cut-sporting Nathan Fillion as the Guy Gardner incarnation of Green Lantern, and the scene-stealer of all scene-stealers in the form of Superman’s poorly behaved pooch, Krypto. 

None of these ancillary characters let the film down, but there are just too many of them, meaning we don’t get enough time with the film’s headliners. It’s almost as if Gunn was worried this was his one and only chance to make a film in this world, so he crammed as many characters in as possible. It’s an odd choice when you consider a whole cinematic universe is meant to follow in the wake of this film. 

Action Aplenty

Finally, Superman absolutely delivers when it comes action and spectacle. From the title character’s take down of a giant (and oddly cute) kaiju to fantastic flying sequences and an all-out brawl inside a stadium, the action is staged in such a way that it manages to avoid the difficult-to-follow frenzied approach found in so many blockbusters. Instead, each set piece is clean and clear, while the variety of action keeps things from growing stale. 

The special effects are also top notch, which is to be expected for a film with a reported budget of USD$225 million. From the adorable antics of Krypto and some otherworldly environments in which Supes finds himself to the suite of powers the big guy in blue regularly puts on full display, the visual effects consistently deliver the goods. 

Final Verdict

I did not anticipate enjoying Superman anywhere as much as I ultimately did. While it didn’t help me get over my superhero movie fatigue, it did make me consider that maybe what I’m actually suffering from is bad superhero movie fatigue. Heaven knows there have been enough of those lately. 

With that, I’m happy to report that David Corenswet does an outstanding job embodying Superman for a new generation, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane may be the best version of the character we’ve ever seen on screen, and James Gunn brings it all home with a strong (if convoluted) script and snappy direction. Up, up, and away. 

★★★★☆